Frictionless track link



R. T. CURTIS.

FRICTIONLESS TRACK LINK.

APPLICATION F|LED ocT.23.1919.

Patented gan. 31, 1922.

.v on d ZW RANDALL T. CURTIS, OF LOS ANGEL-ES, GALFORNIA.

l FRICTIONLESS TRACK LINK. f

ideama.

f Specification of LettersPatent.

litpiieatipn inea october 23, i919. serial No. 332824.

To @imam ramdam 1 y yBe it known that I, `RiiNDALL 'F.Cunris, a citizen of the `United, States, residing' at Los y Angeles, in the'county of Los `Angeles, State y very .little attention; `Forthese reasons or# dinarytchains. are very ineflicient andwvear very rapidly. By` thepresent invention a chain is provided in Which friction and Wear are reduced toaminirnuin and which will operateV etliciently under extreme adversey conditions i. `A

The construction ofthe chain provided by` the present vinventionis Ysuch `tha-t lubrica-v tion is unnecessarygand thechain is not seriously a'ected by ndirt. Thesfefeatures make the chain `.particularly 4vadapted foruse in agricultural machinery and particularlyan caterpillar'tractors and the like. Axfurther feature `of the invention is the construction which niakes it possible `zto easily andinex pensively reset oryrenew the' bearing meme bers occassionally and thereby put the chain in perfect operatingcondition. This feature ofthe invention is ofparticular importance as itunakes it possibleto make the links of comparativelyk inexpensiveL material and i helps tomake Ithe chain of great commercial value.

There are Y the invention which `will. be best understood from the following .detailed description .of a preferred embodiment vof .the invention throughout Whichlireference is had-tothe accompanying drawings, in which. y y

Fig. l is a plane vView of va shortglength of chain; Fig. 9. isasection taken. as indil cated by lineZ-f'z on Fig. 1;.and Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 1.

1 hroughout.thee-drawings numeral l0 designates links which are connected or held further `objects yand features of` together byvpintle pins 11. The links'1`0l`y `may be of any desired forni or construction and itivill be understoodthat the particu-4 lar links herein shoivn and described "are merely typical and that the invention is not in any Way limitedito them. `Each link 10 comprises a cross bar 12 from Which extends r l orricE] 'i Patented Jan'. 31, 1922.4 Y

sidebars 13.` The side bars 13 are preferablyintegralwith the cross bar 12 and are so shapedthat the cross bar 12of theadjacent link caneXtendbetvveenetheir onter-y ends as clearly shown in F 1. ln theV pai-, ticular form of chain shown in the drawings,`langes 15 entend from the side bars 13 yto form mounting `brackets for conveyor buckets, flights, ,orv treads in cases Where Athe Y chain is beingused on caterpillar tractors,

orothervdevicesglt Will bereadily uiidei'-, stood that the `Hang-es 15 beof asize i and shape vwhich Will best suit the device to be' mounted `on thechain and `that if the` chain is not to have devices of any kind mounted on it, itis not necessary to provide,

flangesof any, kind on the links.

The pintle pins 11 which connect the links 10y are ktightly y carried in and extend be-v tvveenthe' outerends of the side bars r13.

VThe pins 1 1 `in-eXtending betweenthe outer ends of the side bars 13 ,extend throughy bores 16 in the crossbarslQ and thereby]A connect the links. of construction4 shown in the `drawings vthe pins 11are secured inthe side bars 13 by f riveting ,over or spreading their ends as shownin Fig.1, butr it Will be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular` ,fornil of construction and that the fpins llinay besecured inthe side kbars in.,

any desiredV manner.

In' the` particular formf n, Win be lm-tiaiim-iynoteei,that thefpin;

tle pins 11a-re square in cross sectional4 con-r figuration and thatthey lit freely through. jthe bores 16. y lt will also be particularly noted that each pin 11 is carried by the side bars y13 of 'a link so astoliave an edge 2O facing and engaging the block21 which lis set in the Wall of the bore of lthe adjacent link, as clearly shown in the drawings. vThe blocks 21 are preferably hardened steel and Will i be` readily understood that when ythe chainis in actionthe linesof contact of the edges 20 with the blocks 21 are the only the pintle pins 11 vare also hardened steel. 1t

blocks 21. j

hardened blocks 21 be lmade to fit. the cross bearing points in the chain and that the links 10 merely rock relative to each other about the lines of contact between the edges 20 and the blocks 21. Due to thc fact that the bearing points between the pins 11 and the blocks 21 are practically knife edge bearings and that there is no rubbing action bei tween the pins and the blocks to canse'friction it is unnecessary to lubricate the con nections in any way. Thepins 11 by extending through the bores 16 are encased'by the cross `bars 12 so that they are protected from` dirt, etc., and the links are positively locked together and can be taken apart only by withdrawal of the pins. It will also be understood that ldirt getting into the chain will have very little' effect upon it due to the fact that there are no rubbing bearing surfaces to become scored .or cut.

- The invention is not limited to pintle pins of any particular cross sectional configura-` tion, although itis desirableV and preferred that the pins be 'square in cross" section asV shownv in the drawings, as'such construction makes 'it possible to remove the pins if necessary and turn them so that new or sharp edges are brought into engagement withthe It is alsov preferred that Vthe bars 12 so that they can be forced out ofthe bars if it is desired to replace them.V vDue l are the only meinberjs between which there Y Ais 4any appreciable wear, and that' these members areV easily 'removed and replaced, the chain can be easily and cheaply keptv in eiicient working condition by occasional replacement of the. blocks 21 or replacement or shifting of pins 11. It is desirable, for

ordinary operation of the chain, for the edges 20,130 cut `or form slight indentations in the surfaces of the` blocks 21 in order to prevent slipping or Vsliding of the edges 20 on the blocks 21.

From the foregoing description it will bereadilyunderstood how the chain has an.

extremely high mechanical efficiency dueto the elimination of rubbing or rolling surfaces. The efficiency of the chain combined Vso ' tle connections for theliuks, `a pintle being with its simplicity of construction Vand its durability makes it particularly adapted for use inpractically every class of machinery. Having described a typical embodiment of my'invention I do not'wish to limit my.

self to the particular details herein set forth but wish to reserve to myself.: any changes or Vmodifications that may appearV to those skilled in the art or fall within the scope of the following claims.

`Having described a preferred form of myv invention, I claim:

1. In a chain, links each one of which comprises a cross bar and side bars, and pintends i between the side bars.

" 2. InV a chain, links each one of which comprises a cross bar and side bars, the cross bars l` having tnansverse bores and being adapted to fit between the side bars of ad7 jacent links, and pintle connection between the links, apintle being-carried byand be tween the side barsl of eachlink so as to extend through the bore in the cross .bar .which extends between the side bars, the pintle being of regular polygonal cross sectional.'conguration and fitting through the bore and being carried by the sidebars so that it may be turned so that anyone of its edgesonly engages the wall of the bore to be free'to rock about the line of contact between the pintleand the wall of the bore.`

3. In a chain, links eachof which comprises a cross bar and side bars, the cross bars having transverse bores and being adapted to `fit between'the vouter ends of the'Y side bars of adjacent links, and pintle lconnections between the links, veach pintle being of regular polygonal cross sectional configuration, a pintle being," carried by and" between the outer ends ofthe side bars of each link so as; to extend through they bore in thek cross member which extends between pintle and thewall of the bore longitudinal of the bore, the cross ban forming a housingfor the portion ofJthepintle-which ex- 4. In a chain, links each ofy which comprises a cross bar and side bars,"the cross barsl having transverse bores, blocksy set in the walls of the bores to form bearings, and being adapted "tofit between the outer ends of the side bars of adjacent links7 and pintle connections between 'the' links, each pintle being lof regular' polygonal Across sectional configuration, a pintle being carried by and between the outer `ends -of the'side bars of each link so asto extend through the bore in the cross member whichfextends between the side bars, the pintle being adaptedfto be arranged so that any one of its edges may be turned to engage theblock set in the wall of thebore'to make a single line of contact between the pintle and the block longitudinal of the bore, the cross bar forming a housing for the portion of the pintle which extends between the side bars.

5, In Va chain, linksv each one of which j comprises a cross bar and side hars, and pintie connections for the links, a pintle being carried by the Side bars of each link to engage the cross bar of the adjacent link7 each pintle being substantially square in cross sectional configuration and being adapted to be carried by the side bars so that anyone of its edges may be turned to engage the cross bar of the adjacent link to form a singie line 0f contact therewith.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of ctOber, 1919.

RANDALL T. CURTIS. 

